INDIAN WAGTAILS 31 



and the white outer-tail feathers invariably catch the 

 eye. Man}^ a snipe owes its life to the wagtail. 



The four commonest of the migratory wagtails are, 

 I think, the white {Motacilla alba), the masked (M. 

 impersonata) y the grey {M. melanope), and the grey- 

 headed wagtail [M. horealis). The two latter are 

 characterised by much bright yellow in the lower 

 plumage, which the first two lack ; but I am not going 

 to attempt to achieve the impossible by trying to 

 describe the various species of wagtail. Owing to the 

 fact that these birds, like ladies of fashion, are con- 

 tinually changing their gowns, it is very difficult to state 

 the species to which an individual belongs without 

 examining that individual feather by feather. You 

 ma}^ see a dozen wagtails of the same species catching 

 insects on your lawn, each of which differs markedly 

 from all his companions. Most of us are satisfied with 

 the knowledge that a given bird is a wagtail, and are 

 able to enjoy the poetry and grace of its motion with- 

 out troubling our heads about its scientific name. 



